The top fundraiser in the race for the Democratic congressional nomination in the 7th district says she has offered to return campaign contributions and will donate the rest to charity. Lisa Mandelblatt raised more than $640,000 before dropping out the race last week with more than $440,000 cash-on-hand. She says she has sent letters to donors asking if they would like a pro-rated refund. Mandelblatt also intends to repay herself

This is about as grass roots as you can get in an internal party contest: congressional candidate Scott Salmon is on a twelve-hour swing through Warren County in a final push for votes before tomorrow’s Warren County Democratic convention. Salmon, a 27-year-old attorney from Scotch Plains, is one of six Democrats seeking the Warren organization line in his bid to take on Rep. Leonard Lance (R-Clinton) in the fall. He

Democratic insiders say that Lisa Mandelblatt's endorsement of rival Tom Malinowski gives State Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Linden) some cover to push the Union organization line away from Linda Weber if he wins the special election for county chairman later this month. There had been some pressure on Democrats to back a woman challenger to Rep. Leonard Lance (R-Clinton) in the 7th district race, but there's more going on behind the

Lisa Mandelblatt, who has raised the most cash in her bid for the Democratic nomination for Congress in New Jersey's 7th district, withdrew from the race today and endorsed Tom Malinowski for the chance to take on Rep. Leonard Lance (R-Clinton) in November. “It is time to put changing our country over my own candidacy and do what is best for our shared goal in November,” Mandelblatt said. “I want

Tom Malinowski has won the Hunterdon County Democratic line for U.S. Congress in New Jersey’s seventh district. He defeated banker Linda Weber by a vote of 96-42, with 25 votes combined for the other candidates at the Democratic convention in Frenchtown this morning. This is the first organizational win for Malinowski, a former Assistant U.S. Secretary of State in the Obama administration. Weber has the organization lines in Somerset and Essex

Seven Democratic congressional candidates are in Rep. Leonard Lance’s home county this morning in pursuit of the Hunterdon County Democratic organization line at their convention in Frenchtown. The county chair, Arlene Quinones Perez, has personally endorsed Linda Weber for Congress, and this morning is considered a test of her political strength. Tom Malinowski, a former Assistant U.S. Secretary of State under President Obama, has been working Hunterdon hard – especially

The top Democratic fundraiser in the 7th district congressional race says that the ability to raise money will play a key role if Democrats are to unseat Rep. Leonard Lance this year. "While the ability to raise money is not everything, it's definitely a necessary part of being a candidate," says Lisa Mandelblatt, who has raised $659,023 and has $413,239 cash-on-hand. “As a first-time candidate, I have shown my ability